Through Ash and Dust (ROTB)

Chapter 25

One Week Later...

A whole week! A whole week she has been held hostage by the decepticon. And Saphira was getting ready, really worried that Optimus will not find her or Transit. And Transit made it no secret that he was mocking her about it as well. Saphira hated it, and she had been made to sit in the small space at the back of the bus each day while Transit works and acts like a regular bus for passengers. And while Saphira sat there the whole day, she found herself occasionally being hit with a shock from Transit. He would do it randomly, and excuse it as wanting to keep her in line. But it was making her muscles ache, and she hated it.

But it also made her worried as she found it hard to stand and walk at the moment too. She guessed that the shock was affecting her muscles negatively, and it could be permanent if he kept doing it. Especially since he's decided to do it twice a day instead of one, which Saphira was not enjoying at all. It made it hard for her to even eat the little food she was given. Especially since she forced herself to take small bites so that it would not hurt her throat muscles too much.

While she is out of the cooling temperatures of the city, Saphira would prefer to be walking through the city in the temperatures than be sitting within the bus. Saphira also had to endure with Transit insisting that she used the public showers daily. She honestly hated it, as each time, his holoform would stand and watch her. It made her really lose her dignity, especially when he would compliment her appearance. And not in a nice way.

Saphira was staring at the ceiling of the space at the back of the bus. She was trying to think of things that might help her get away from Transit. He was watching her like a hawk. That made it harder for her to think of an escape route. All of her ideas so far would not work. And she didn't want to rely on the autobots to get away, even though they might be the only way to get away from him at the end of the day. Her ideas could land her in hotter water with Transit.

I hope one of you autobots find me soon. Arcee, Bumblebee, Mirage, Optimus...I know you guys are still looking for Transit. The only thing I've managed to memorize is the number plate he has. Transit doesn't seem to change it.

Saphira jumped as she felt the bus brake suddenly, and she guessed that might have been the driver braking suddenly, which didn't surprise her. It could have been Transit, but it was unlikely, since he is meant to be in disguise. Saphira was just a little irritated mostly. She wasn't hurt by it, but the sudden lurch forward was definitely very annoying to her. She heard a light chuckle by her ear, making her roll her eyes in irritation.

She didn't say anything though as she knew she could not control the actions of the driver. The one thing that did make her happy though was that Transit had given her a small window to look out of. He did this only when he noticed she was mostly falling asleep or was having a hard time because she was feeling claustrophobic, so he did that to avoid her causing issues for him and the humans he works with.

Saphira was looking out the window. It wasn't big enough for anyone to see her from the street, but it was something. She was trying to see if she could spot any of the autobots. She was resting her cheek on her hand as she watched the road go by, looking at every vehicle that the bus drives by. She didn't see any vehicle that looked similar to Arcee, Mirage, Bumblebee or Optimus yet. But she didn't actually know what she would do if she saw them. They may not actually see her.

Saphira relaxed while staring out the window, counting the cars they go by as a way to entertain herself. She really felt bored at the moment. The one thing that made her smile was the snow falling the night before. It has since melted, but it made her smile when she saw it. After all, Christmas was coming, and it was a good feeling. But she still hoped that the autobots would find her soon. She really wanted to get away from Transit.